Doris CHUNG
Shop sign
Dick Lee was established by CHUNG Tack Fong [鍾德寛], a traditional Chinese herbalist and importer of Chinese foodstuffs. The gold lettered shop sign lists commodities sold: Chinese tea, rice, condiments, soy sauces, peanut oil and dried seafood. Situated in Tory Street, Wellington, the shop operated from the early 1900s to the mid 1970s. It was latterly owned and operated by Tack Fong’s nephew CHUNG Chun Ying [鍾陳英].
Doris CHUNG [陳美逢], wife of CHUNG Chun Ying, kept some bottles of dried herbs when the shop was sold. It made way for popular Italian restaurant Ill Casine. When the building was demolished, modern apartments were built there.
The little black book
Doris CHUNG’s father, CHUN Yee Hop [陳宜合], proudly and meticulously recorded his family’s birth dates in a little black book. There, Doris (born 1917) looks in wonder at her own entry which records date, time and even the minutes of her birth in both New Zealand and Chinese time. This ‘not to be lost’ family heirloom begins with the birth dates of Mavis [美嫦], the eldest daughter, born in 1916 and continues through to June [美英], the youngest daughter, born in 1941.
Ken CHUNG
2015
Doris CHUNG
Meeting ninety-eight year old Doris CHUNG[1] [陳美逢], wife of CHUNG Chun Ying [鍾陳英], was a joy. Our conversation in English and Cantonese about her life was amusing. What will always be remembered are her agile mind and the smiles on her face. She is the second child of eighteen brothers and sisters and received her education in China for six years when she was a child. In this photograph she is holding a black book, a family heirloom from her father CHUN Ye Hop [陳宜合] who came to New Zealand at age twenty-five in 1895. In the black book, CHUN had recorded all the birth-dates of his children in both the Western and Chinese calendars with their Chinese and English names.
The family is still keeping the golden-plated Dick Lee [德利] shop-sign of CHUNG Chun Ying’s herbal and grocery shop and some bottles of dried herbs. Dick Lee [德利] is an auspicious name with the phonetic meaning “securing or gaining [得] a profit [利]” at the same time it reflects the underpinned business ethics of the shop — With kindness and virtue [德].
[1] Doris passed away in May 2017.
King Tong HO
2015
商店招牌
这个商店招牌唸作“德利”。德利是中草药剂师和中国食物进口商锺德寛创办。
商店坐落于威灵顿的Tary Street。从二十世纪初营业至一九七零年代中期。后期由德利的侄子锺陈英拥有和掌管。
金色文字的招牌, 写着销售的物品：中国茶叶、米、调味品、酱油、花生油、海鲜干货。
这店后来被变卖, 攺为意大利餐馆, 陈美逢（锺陈英的太太）保留了几瓶干草药。最后这栋楼被清拆, 改建成一幢现代化公寓。
小黑本
陈美逢的父亲陈宜合，曾经自豪并一丝不苟地在一本小黑本上记录下他家庭成员的生日。由长女美嫦一九一六年的生日开始, 一直到么女美英一九四一年的生日。是陈家 “不能被遗失的”传家宝。
你瞧，陈美逢（一九一七年生）, 看到记录中的自己而感到吃惊。记录里有她中国和纽西兰的出生日期、时间、甚至分钟。
锺振强
2015
陈美逢
与锺陈英的妻子、九十八岁的陈美逢[1]会面是一种享受。我们在粤语和英语的切换中对话，气氛轻松。她敏捷的思维和笑脸深深刻在我脑海里。在十八个兄弟姐妹中, 她排行老二, 幼时曾在中国接受教育六年。照片中, 她拿着小黑本：一件她父亲陈宜合传下来的传家寳。一八九五年, 二十五岁的陈宜合来到纽西兰。他在小黑本中记录下所有孩子的西历和唐历的出生日期与及中、英文姓名。
“德利”：锺陈英的中草药和蔬菓店的名称, 家人仍保存着这镀金的商店招牌和几个盛干草药的瓶子。“德利”是一个吉祥的名字, 与获得利润“得利”谐音, 同时喻意着商店的商业理念：仁德的 “德”。
[1] 陈美逢于二零一七年五月离世。
何经棠
2015
商店招牌
這個商店招牌唸作“德利”。德利是中草藥劑師和中國食物進口商鍾德寛 創辦。
商店坐落於威靈頓的Tary Street。從二十世紀初營業至一九七零年代中期。後期由德利的侄子鍾陳英擁有和掌管。
金色文字的招牌，寫著銷售的物品：中國茶葉、米、調味品、醬油、花生油、海鮮乾貨。
這店後來被變賣，攺為意大利餐館，陳美逢（鍾陳英的太太）保留了幾瓶乾草藥。最後這棟樓被清拆，改建成一幢現代化公寓。
小黑本
陳美逢的父親陳宜合，曾經自豪並一絲不茍地在一本小黑本上記錄下他家庭成員的生日。由長女美嫦一九一六年的生日開始，一直到幺女美英一九四一年的生日。是陳家 “不能被遺失的”傳家寶。
你瞧，陳美逢（一九一七年生），看到記錄中的自己而感到吃驚。記錄裏有她中國和紐西蘭的出生日期、時間、甚至分鐘。
鍾振強
2015